In July, Guangcheng was as hot as a steamer.
Lin Xi had already been standing in the airport arrivals hall for twenty minutes. The flight was listed as on time, but she had still arrived early. What if the flight landed ahead of schedule? What if he came out early?
She bit her lip, forcing those what-ifs down. Nothing would go wrong. Not this time.
Her phone vibrated. Chen Wan had sent her a message: “He’s landed. Has he messaged you yet?” Before she could reply, another message came through. “He’s a quiet child, so don’t take it personally. Auntie had him bring some tasty things for you.”
Lin Xi tightened her grip around her phone and stared at those two lines for several seconds. He was quiet. She had known that ever since her previous life. Brother Chengzhe did not like to talk, but every word he spoke carried weight.
She put her phone away and moved a few steps closer to the exit.
Ten minutes later, the crowd coming through the exit had thinned. Lin Xi rose onto her toes and peered inside.
She did not see him, so she lowered her heels and pressed her lips together.
Then she saw him.
He walked out from inside with two men following behind him, one on either side, each keeping half a step of distance from him.
One was carrying a briefcase, while the other was pushing a suitcase. They were dressed in dark-colored clothes and barely spoke, keeping a low profile, but it was obvious at a glance that they were accompanying him.
Lin Xi’s gaze lingered on him for a moment. After the apocalypse began in her previous life, she had never had the chance to see what the heir to the number one family in the Imperial Capital looked like in the ordinary world.
Li Chengzhe was wearing a light gray jacket with the zipper pulled up to his chest, revealing a glimpse of the collar of his white shirt.
He wore dark casual trousers and a pair of black leather shoes.
His features were gentle and refined. His brow bones were slightly prominent, his eye sockets somewhat deep, and his nose straight and long. His lips were on the thinner side and slightly pursed, while the corners of his mouth held an almost imperceptible curve, a natural warmth cultivated through years of dealing with people.
He looked easy to be around without seeming cold, yet he would never make anyone think they could casually approach him.
There was a quiet composure about him.
Lin Xi stood in a corner near the exit.
She did not wave or call out to him, nor did she move. She simply stood there and watched him.
The last time she had seen him in her previous life, fifteen days had already passed since the apocalypse began. He had been covered in blood, his clothes torn in several places, his hair a complete mess, and a knife in his hand.
Back then, she had only thought of him as a ray of light. She had never wondered what he had been like before the apocalypse. Now she knew.
Li Chengzhe’s gaze swept across the crowd and stopped on her for a moment.
Only for a moment, before he walked toward her. His pace did not quicken, remaining unhurried and steady. The gazes of the two men behind him followed his, with one of them lowering his head to glance at his phone as if confirming something. He said nothing and continued following half a step behind.
He stopped in front of her. At over 180 centimeters tall, she only came up to his chin. He lowered his head slightly, his gaze settling on her face.
“Lin Xi?” His voice was a little lower and deeper than she remembered, but the slight upward inflection at the end carried a hint of warmth and inquiry.
“Brother Chengzhe.” She called out softly, her voice seeming to squeeze its way out of her throat with a trace of tentative uncertainty. Then she lowered her head. “Auntie asked me to come pick you up.”
Li Chengzhe gave a quiet “Mm.” He turned his head and glanced at the people behind him. One of the assistants immediately stepped forward.
“Put the luggage in the car first.”
His voice was not loud. The assistant nodded and pushed the suitcase ahead, while the other assistant continued following behind.
Li Chengzhe turned back and looked at her. “Let’s go. It’s hot outside.”
She followed behind him, her steps neither too large nor too small, naturally falling half a step behind.
She noticed the way he walked, with his back straight, shoulders level, and pace even. Whenever she quickened her steps, he slowed down slightly, and whenever she fell half a step behind, he paused for a moment. This quiet consideration came from his upbringing, not from any special treatment toward her.
A black business car was waiting outside the exit. The driver opened the rear door, while the assistant took the front passenger seat.
“Get in.” He glanced at her.
“I can take a taxi myself.”
“Get in.”
His tone was not harsh, but there was no room for negotiation.
Lin Xi lowered her head and got into the back seat. He walked around to the other side and sat down. They sat side by side with enough space between them for another person. The car was quiet, and the air conditioning was turned up high.
As the car drove out of the airport, he leaned back against the seat and closed his eyes. A small shadow fell across his profile from where she sat beside him. His fingers were long and slender, with distinct knuckles, resting naturally on his knees.
She withdrew her gaze and looked ahead.
“How long have you been waiting?” he suddenly asked without opening his eyes.
“Not long.”
He opened his eyes and glanced at her. “Next time, don’t wait outside. Come inside.”
After saying that, he closed his eyes again.
He was not closing his eyes to rest. He was thinking about this girl, the one his mother had asked him to come and see, who was different from what he had imagined.
He had noticed that she had been waiting for more than “not long,” and that her fingers had been tracing circles on the hem of her skirt.
Lin Xi softly replied, “Mm.”
The car stopped at a red light. He suddenly asked again, “Are you hungry?”
Lin Xi froze for a moment. “I’m not hungry.”
He did not say anything else. Lin Xi lowered her head and looked at her fingers.
“Brother Chengzhe, how long will you be staying in Guangcheng?”
“About a month.”
“Where are you staying?”
He opened his eyes, slightly surprised. Given her identity as the daughter of his mother’s friend, asking this question was not exactly crossing a line, but it still took some courage. She had not had that courage in her previous life.
“In the east of the city.”
Lin Xi nodded and did not ask anything else. A house in the east of the city would not come cheap.
The car stopped outside the Lin family home. She got out and stood at the entrance, watching the black business car turn onto the road leading toward the east of the city until it disappeared around the corner.
When she returned to her room, she closed and locked the door. Then she leaned against it and slowly slid down until she was sitting on the floor.
Her heart was beating rapidly, and her palms were sweaty. She had seen him. He was alive, right there in front of her. When she had first seen him after the apocalypse in her previous life, she had only felt that he was a ray of light. Now she had seen him in the ordinary world.
She pressed a hand against her chest.
This was their first meeting in this life. Their feelings could develop slowly. She was not in a hurry. She did not ask him to fall in love with her. All she wanted was for him to stay alive.
She walked to the window. Sunlight fell across her face, and she raised a hand to shield her eyes.
In a little over a month, the apocalypse would arrive. By then, all identities, social status, and wealth would be wiped away.
He would no longer be the heir to the Li family, and she would no longer be the burden of the Lin family. They would stand side by side. She would never again stand behind him.
She pulled the curtains tightly shut. The room darkened. She crouched in the corner and hugged her knees, burying her face against them. In the darkness, she stretched out a finger and drew a number in the air.
54!
There were still 54 days until the apocalypse.